Though I read a great deal, I profess to not ever finishing the Bible. I have suffered through some tough reading material in my life ( such as "the 12 Caesars") but couldn't force myself to read such juvenile tripe. The repeated contradictions would have led to a complete failure in any lower level critical thinking class in English composition classes. Also, trying to convince me this God of such awesome power, that inflicts pain and suffering on his "children", is a just or loving God, is a colossal waste of your efforts.

His idea of losing arguments seems to be eradicate the children of his opponents. How many times did he choose to condemn women and children? Once was too many if you wish to be seen as magnificent and caring.

How any sane person could take such an arcane manuscript and use it to formulate a moral code in today's society, is beyond me. Societies create the rules and laws based on their vision, not using a code based 2000 years ago as a functioning template for a more diverse, and complicated world such as we live in today. Societies back then ( and some still today) believe in stoning people to death. Usually without the benefit of a trial.

Also we must remember that societies in the first century were small, with slow and long distances between them on the majority. Our world is a lot more connected. The early Jews may not have had the ability to research the religions of others, but we certainly do. With all the vulgar and torturous events that Christianity surrounds itself with, it really isn't a very good representative of a loving society at all with the sole except of Jesus himself if he is in fact a real historical person.

They were many scribes, especially in Judea, at the time. They wrote of the Romans, of their religion, about day to day affairs, and even about radicals Jews who were attempting to rebel. We know their names, their functionality in their society, even some of their business dealings because of the historical records found to date. What is strange is, that not a single scribe or official wrote of any man who gathered the many to hear him. No reports of a single "miracle" being documented. Not a single mention in Roman records, and they were very astute at that. Not a single mention of any Jesus, or his followers, or their crucifying him, though they listed the others who were. They painstakingly documented their rule.

The first mention of a man called Jesus first appeared nearly 100 years after these purported events took place. No first hand witnesses. Convenient to say the least. As for its being presented, even as a novel, is unimpressive. Terrible editing skills. Poorly written. I am certain that the many translations have weakened the text. The biggest con is that at times, it was edited, and much was removed. Emperor Constantine tossed most in fact, and basically used the four books of John, Luke, Peter and Mark, to create his vision of the bible. If we understand at least that much, how can one claim the book is God's word, if common men can edit it? I mean, what if his real lesson was within the other books that were deleted? Then you are following a false teaching. You could be misled and never even know or consider that.

So much hate and violence has been heaped upon our world in the name of one religion or another. It has been the bane of mankind since the first person was killed for refusing to accept the faith of another. How worthy are your prayers if you are forced to render them? Why is the life of another so worthless, if your God is so just?